Close To You
by EchoCIDE
Summary: "This ride that takes me through life, leads me into darkness but emerges into light. No one can ever slow me down, I'll stay unbound." ClaireXSteve. HIATUS AND POSSIBLE TERMINATION.
1. Chapter One: Where She Goes

Claire shot straight up, sweat and tears pouring down her face. She wiped her face off and felt another wave of tears overcome her. This dream...this nightmare, the same nightmare that had been haunting her for three years, had managed to get her once again. Everything had felt so real, almost was real. Well, it was real once, save for a few details her subconcious had left out. Of course all of the things that made her so upset were still there. Claire decided that she was not going back to sleep any time soon so she got out of the bed and walked to her closet. She sighed...once again Jill had borrowed her favorite sweatshirt. Claire made her way down the hall, a quick glance at the wall clock told her the time, 2:34 AM. She stopped for a second resting her head on the window. The glass was cool and felt great against her hot forehead. Maybe I have a fever. Or maybe I am just over exagerrating like I always do. Claire was broken from her thoughts by voices coming from her brother's room. She tip-toed over to the door and pressed her ear against the door.

"I'm just worried about her, Jill. You weren't there...you don't know what happened. You didn't hear what that asshole told me. I mean goddamnit...I am her older brother, it's up to me to protect her-"

What is Chris talking about?

"Chris," Jill spoke now. "She's 23 years old. She's an adult now. Maybe you don't give her enough credit. Look at what she's done before? She can do it again, if the situation arises. I hope it doesn't, but you know, chances are likely Wesker wasn't lying. That's not like him, you know?"

"Of course I know Jill. And I know she could handle it if it happens...but I won't let it come to that."

"And what are you going to do, Chris?? Infiltrate Wesker's facility and take care of 'it' yourself?"

A long period of silence followed Jill's words, and then Claire heard a panicked Jill arise from the bed.

"Chris no! You can't do that! Please don't do that...you will surely get hurt. Wesker is unstoppable. He will do what he wants no matter what you...or I...or anyone else for that matter, does to stop him. In fact you, busting in there all gung-ho on foiling him, will probably make matters worse. I mean-" She lowered her voice, and continued. Claire had to press her entire body on the door now, just to hear what she was saying. "What if he starts it earlier than he said he would? If this...project is as big as he said it was going to be...the whole world will be endangered."

"Oh?? The whole world can burn in hell, as long as Claire is safe from...that thing that Wesker is making. She is supposed to be 'it's' main target. I can't let that happen, Jill. I just can't."

Claire stepped back from the door, her heart thudding quicker than ever. Her mind snapped back to that night three years ago. The same voice haunting her dreams was playing over and over in her head.

"Turns out Alexia's work wasn't much after all. I have Steve to work with. There is still a little T-Alexia virus left in his body. Who knows maybe he will come back to life, just as I did, and be able to see your sister again."

Claire shuddered, that had to have been what they are talking about. Steve. She wondered what was going on at the HCF facility right now, what was that freak doing to Steve's cold lifeless body? She couldn't bare to think of it. She stumbled back to her room and opened her closet. Grabbing a duffel bag out of her closet, she threw her Beretta, a couple of first aid kit supplies, extra handgun clips, and a change of clothes in it. She knew what she had to do...as crazy as it seemed. She pulled off her night shirt, pulled on a black tank top and yanked a sweatshirt over it. She grabbed her blue jeans out of her closet and yanked them on her legs, then pulling on a pair of black boots. She stood up and a quick glance in the mirror confirmed her hair was decent enough to leave the house with. Claire walked to her nighstand and pulled a sheet of paper and a pen out of the top drawer.

I can't tell Chris where I am going. He would never allow it. Never. But I can't just leave, without telling him anything at all.

She started to write. This note was going to be short, if she was going to leave she had to do it soon.

Chris,

I am sorry but I have some things I need to take care of. Don't come after me, I have to do this myself. You have to understand. I didn't want to leave this way but I couldn't tell you I was leaving. You wouldn't have allowed it. Big brother stance I guess. Don't worry I will be back in a few days, hopefully. Feed Dixie for me okay? And tell Jill that she can keep my sweatshirt, I don't need it. Please forgive me Chris.

Love ya. Claire.

P.S.: Sorry but I had to take some of your ammo, and your assault rifle. I'll bring the gun back. I promise. See ya.

Claire read the note over in her head. Her kitten Dixie was purring and weaving in and out of her legs. Claire bent down to pick her up and scratched her behind her ears.

"Dixie. Do you think Chris will forgive me?" She asked the little fluff ball who, just tilted her head at Claire and licked her hand. Claire giggled, possibly the last laugh she was going to have in a while. Back to the horror, only this time, it was willingly. She grabbed her bag and snuck out as quietly as possible, grabbing the rifle and the ammo, leaving her note on the table. Her motorcycle was parked out in the garage, she climbed on it and pulled on her helmet. As she started it up, she could only think of Chris's dissappointment when he was going to wake up.

"Im sorry Chris. But I have to do this. For me, for Steve, and for everyone."


	2. Chapter Two: Far From Home

AUTHORS NOTE: YES!! I am so thrilled to have gotten these great reviews! Thank you so much guys! Anywho just so you all know it will take a bit between each chapter to get it posted up. Anyways...keep on sending me feedback!! 3 -Ny.

P.S-ness: Sorry the first chappy was so short...got busy. Anywho this one is quite a bit longer.

Disclaimer: I am merely a fan of the wondrous Resident Evil series. Flesh eating zombies?? You bet! Anywho...i do not own any rights to make this story. I have primarily used characters from the games, but ive also come up with my own so...DON'T SUE ME!!

Chapter Two: Far From Home

"Shit!" Chris flung his arm at the table, startling an already distressed Jill, who was leaning her head on the table. She shot straight up and looked at her intensely angry counterpart. "She left me Jill! She went and deliberately disobeyed what I told her to do! She ran straight into Wesker's trap. And now...I have to go save her ass...again. Only this time..she did it on on purpose."

"Chris," Jill ran her fingers through her hair, she was exhausted, from not getting much sleep last night due to listening to Chris's rant all night. "Doesn't the letter say NOT to go after her?"

"Jill!! Are you serious?? You don't seem to get it do you? Of course she doesn't want me to go after her. That doesn't mean I am going to follow her orders." Chris almost screamed. He was pissed and it showed.

"Is it possible that she...I don't know...is going somewhere else? To her friend's house maybe?" Jill met Chris's gaze, and his gaze was looking at her like she was stupid. Okay...It did sound incredibly idiotic. But you know...it's a thought.

"Jill...seriously. I'm calling Leon, I'll ask him to go after her." Chris wandered over to the phone, Jill shook her head.

"Chris! Let her do this on her own okay? If she needs you she'll call you somehow. She can do it without you this time. I believe in her...maybe it's time you start believing in her too." Jill placed her hand on Chris's arm, and Chris responded by bringing her hand to his mouth. He laid a kiss on her warm skin, and spoke again, softer this time.

"Maybe you are right. Okay...I will let her handle it. But don't think for a minute that I will ignore her cries for help when they come."

"I didn't think you would. I love you Chris." Jill smiled and Chris wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"I love you too, Jill. So very much."

Claire stopped her motorcycle and yanked her helmet off. She surveryed the road ahead of her, apparently she had pulled over in a small town called Hackwood Falls, right in the middle of nowhere. The town seemed decent enough to stop for the night. All that seemed to be open was an old run down gas station and a motel that looked like it's seen better days. Claire looked down at her fuel gauge, the needle was teetering on the edge of empty. Claire kicked her leg back up, and made her way to the old gas station, praying that it was still in order. The gas pumps looked incredibly old, but they looked like they still worked. Claire parked and made her way to the front door of the convenience store. The attendant was a friendly looking older man, somewhere in his late 40's. He shot a smile at Claire when she walked through the door, and this caused Claire to smile. She had half expected to walk into the store only to find a zombie standing behind the counter.

Just like old times...

"Hello there! What is a pretty young lady like yourself doing in a run down place like this?" His accent was hinted with a slight country twang, and his kind nature warmed Claire's soul.

"Passing through mostly. Can I have 20 bucks on the third pump, please?" Claire placed her money on the counter, and looked around. The coolers on the wall were filled with snacks and a large variety of drinks, Claire felt her stomach rumble.

"There ya' go miss .So where are ya' headed?" he asked, and leaned on the counter.

Ahh...what the hell. I can atleast tell him something. After all maybe he can help me.

"I..uhh...well actually I'm looking for an old friend, he works for HCF. Maybe you could tell me if you know where the headquarters is?" She looked at him hopefully, and he seemed like he was thinking hard.

"Hmm...well the only thing I can think of is the Chemical plant. Maybe ya'can head that way, and they could point ya in the right direction." He smiled once again.

"Yes maybe. Could you happen to know where it's located?'

"Well, it's in the next town over, Coolidge City. You go north out of Hackwood, about five miles up there is a right turn. Take it. It'll lead ya into Coolidge."

"Thank you so much...Really." The growl came rumbling out, louder this time. The gas attendant chuckled, and Claire clearly ashamed walked to the cooler to fetch a turkey sandwich and a soda. She plopped her things on the counter and the gas attendant placed them in a bag and said, "It's on me, hon."

"Oh no! I can't let you do that, sir!"

"Really, I insist." He handed her the bag and she took it from him,hesitantly.

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yes, ma'am. It's not every day I get to help a pretty young lady like yourself. You be careful on that road now, ya hear?"

He was such a nice man, to have been so helpful. When Claire traveled to other places, she usually was not welcomed in with a hug and a smile.

"Thank you, sir. You have a good morning." And with that Claire headed for her motorcycle. She reached for the pump, grabbed it, and started munching on her sandwich. She heard a funny dinging sound, but quickly realized it was her cell phone. Claire had barely heard it, as it was buried in her duffel bag. Claire reached in and fished it out. The caller ID confirmed that it was Chris calling. Claire felt her stomach twist, there was no way that this was going to be pretty. She breathed in deeply and hit the answer button.

"Hi Chris. Look I know you are angry but I-"

"Yeah I was mad, but I realized that you aren't my silly little baby sister anymore . You're a grown woman Claire, and for the most part you can handle yourself," Chris' voice seemed a bit sad. Claire felt bad for betraying his trust.

"Chris...I'll always be your sister, it's just...I have to know. I have to know what Wesker is doing...I have a feeling it's going to be life threatening Chris...and...Steve. I have to know. I-"

"I know, Claire. Well, keep me updated okay? Put your phone on silent. I'll stay here and look up some research on where you are headed. Err...where are you headed?" Claire couldn't help but smile at her older brothers' overprotective wares.

"I'm headed for an HCF chemical plant in Coolidge City, Nevada." A period of silence and the some keyboard tapping followed her last word. And then Chris spoke, "Okay...Chances are the facility where Steve and Wesker are located is underneath the chemical plant. There is a route leading to the 3F basement in the Stabiliazer room on the 2F basement. It says here that the floors beneath the plant haven't been used since 1974, when it was shut down due to some strange unexplained deaths and chemical accidents. Wait...who gave you this information?"

"An older guy who works at a gas station here. Why?" Claire was confused. Why did Chris need to know that?

"Claire...it says that the whole facility has been closed off to anyone who's not in affiliation with HCF. And it says that visitors who sneak in are arrested. He may have set you up Claire. Usually when something like that is up...it means something dirty is going on. You are going to have to be extremely careful Claire. I'd suggest sneaking in sometime at night , not tonight though. It's already too close to daylight there."

Claire wondered if the guy in the gas station had set her up? Why would he do that? "Should I get a room for the night and try tommorrow?" Claire was hoping he would say yes, she was exhausted and didn't know if she could make it to the motel.

"Yeah, go ahead and find somewhere to stay. Call me in the morning okay? We'll go over the plan for tomorrow. Bye Claire, and please be careful okay girl?" Chris didn't sound like he wanted to get off the phone with her.

"Okay, Chris. I'm tired so I am going to head up to that motel up the road. I'll call okay? I promise." She hung up and got back on her bike. All she could do was think of Steve. His skin was so pale...his hands were so cold. And his eyes, no matter how hard she tried she would never be able to forget how dull his eyes were before he-

No. She wouldn't think about that right now. She shook it off, and her eyes found the dim lights of the motel's "vacancy sign. There were maybe six vehicles in the parking lot. Claire got a ominous vibe from the place, but she was so tired she ignored it and parked her bike. She grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder, making her way for the front door of the dinky little reception area. She swung open the door and her eyes traveled to the vast array of paintings on the foyer wall. Most of them were ugly floral pictures that looked like they came out of some old lady's house. A guy, about 22, if Claire had to guess, with short black hair and a eyebrow peircing looked up from his magazine and gave Claire a look that shot right through her.

"Hello. I need a room please." She tried to stay as polite as possible, even though the looks he kept shooting her happened to be quite rude.

"Yeah," He spoke, never taking his eyes off of his magazine, "You want a room...in a hotel. How very breakthrough of you!!" He gave her a sarcastic smile. Claire's mouth contorted into a snarl.

"Geez, you don't have to be such a jerk. You know what?" Claire grabbed her bag and started to turn around, "I don't have time for little boys with big mouths. See ya."

"Wait a second, chicky."

Oh I know he did not just call me chicky.

"Where exactly do you think you are supposed to go?" He smiled and looked directly into her eyes. His icy blue glare shot through Claire and made a shiver travel down her spine. She shook it off.

"I'm sure that there are other motels in this crappy town." He chuckled and looked down at his magazine. It was a Playboy, figure that a man looking at a Playboy.

"That would be a negatory, gorgeous. The lovely Hope Springs Inn just happens to be the only motel in the next 30 mile radius. So if you leave, good luck finding a place to sleep tonight." Claire snorted at him, rolled her eyes and made her way for the door. ''I'll take my chances with the road, thanks a heap pal."

"Well well," He walked out from behind the counter, and blocked Claire's way "Someone is feisty eh? Independent woman huh? Get a clue chicky, you 're apparently not from here, so where do you think you are going to go this time of night? Now just suck up your pride, kitten, and take your key, mmkay?" He held up the key and Claire snatched it out of his hand. She yanked a wad of bills out of her pocket and threw it out on the counter. He leaned forward, looking straight in her eyes, got right in her ear and whispered, "Have a good night, beautiful." Claire shoved past him and hustled up the stairs.

The nerve of that guy! What a jerk!? Calling me all those condescending little names...I bet he wouldn't if he knew what I had in my bag. Claire chuckled at this thought and found her room. Room 205. She shoved the key in the hole and threw the door open. Claire looked around at her dwelling. Not bad. It's definately usable. She tossed her bag on the floor, pulled off her sweatshirt, pants and boots and flung herself on the bed. And before she had barely gotten under the blanket she was asleep. She was going to need it...tomorrow she would make her way to the chemical plant and start her search for Wesker.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: OMG!! lol. Yeah yeah I know...but you gotta start off kind of boring to get up to the good stuff. Anywhosits...send me feedbacks good, bad etc. Thanks for the reviews once again. 3 -Ny.


	3. Chapter Three: Through The Shadows

AUTHORS NOTE: OMGZ More reviews. I love you guys. Oh and a little note to Divine Arion, Claire might just do that. Lol. Anywho...so here comes the next chapter. Keep up the inspiration guys.

Chapter Three: Through The Shadows

Albert Wesker paced the floor almost ceremoniously, running his hands through his hair. He walked to his super computer and jabbed some switches down. He couldn't help but smiling, this day had been delayed for far too long and he felt it was time to come out of hibernation, so to speak.

"What are you doing, Wesker?' An intoxicatingly subtle female voice came from behind him. Wesker peered behind him, and a beautiful woman with black hair and a red dress was standing there, fiddling with her nails.

"Ada Wong! It has been too long hasn't it my dear?" He stood up and strolled to her side. He tried to wrap his arms around but she pushed him off.

"Don't start that with me. Apparently you must have forgotten the incident that occured in the laboratory a few years ago. Oh you know what I am talking about...the certain incident where you set off the self destruct system and left me inside to blow up along with every other deranged creature you created!" She went to plant her knee in his stomach but he grabbed her leg and lifted it over his shoulder. A smile curled over his lips and he pressed his lips to her own. At first she resisted but then she got wrapped up in it.

What is he doing? And why? I can't let...

He stopped and leaned back. Ada's hands were bound behind her back, Wesker chuckled.

"Oh sweet girl. I know exactly why you have come back here. You must find me rather stupid to have the tact to come in my facility with an agenda like yours." Ada's face contorted, and she spat at him.

"Wesker you son of a bit-"

Wesker covered her mouth with his hand. "Oh Ada. What a little mouth you have. No no. You misjudge me, love. I do not plan on keeping you for long, I have a little errand I need you to run for me. A few things I need to show you first," He grabbed her hair and yanked her into the elevator. An English computer accented voice came on the intercom. "Good Morning, Dr. Wesker. Which floor would you like me to take you to?"

"Ahh. Yes thank you. 4th floor basement please."

Ada scoffed at Wesker, "Oh so you are a doctor now? That's a laugh."

"You haven't seen anything yet my dear." Wesker's smile was menacing and knowing. Ada felt her stomach drop. He knew something...something big. The elevator bumped to a stop. And the voice came back on, "Basement 4th Floor Dr. Wesker." The elevator doors slid open and Wesker yanked Ada into the hall. They reached a giant set of doors with the word "Biohazard" on them. Ada had been waiting for years to get into Wesker's lab, now she just wanted nothing more than to turn around and walk away. He slid a card key into the panel on the wall and the doors slid open. "Shall we milady?" He laughed rather loudly and yanked Ada's hair, dragging her into a giant room full of capsules. Hundreds of dead cadavers and strange creatures filled each capsule. Wesker got to a super computer in the middle of the room, and threw Ada against the wall. He punched in some buttons on the computer and flipped a few switches. A smaller glass tube slid up out of the ground. Wesker patted the glass and smiled, "Behold...the future of bio-organic warfare." Inside the capsule was a young man, his face looked to place him at no older than 17 or 18 years old...but his body...his muscle capacity was quite large. He was of normal height, he was just very broad and Ada had a feeling that he wasn't always that way.

"And who exactly, is that?" Ada pushed herself off of the ground and rested her thumping head on the cool metal wall. "Another one of your little pets?"

Wesker laughed, much louder than he usually did. "Oh no no no. This is Steven Burnside. I found his body located in a secret facility in Antarctica. A woman by the name of Alexia Ashford, I believe you have heard of her-"

"Alexia Ashford...She was one of Umbrella's top researchers. Accepted into URC at only 11 years old, until she died." Ada said, mostly to herself.

"No. She never died. But that's none of your concern, anywho, Alexia injected this poor young man with her T-Virus mutation and his body wasn't able to handle it for very long. He died. And I brought him back, I saved this pathetic fool, and now he is going to be my most prized creation."

"You are a freak, Wesker." Ada scoffed at him and continued, "Nothing more than a freak mad scientist, with no life."

Wesker smiled, "Ada, that doesn't hold any retent for you dear. All you have to do to get what you want is...this little errand for me."

"What kind of.."errand" Wesker?"

"I need you to locate, kidnap and bring me back, alive of course, a little girl named Claire Redfield."

Ada's throat formed a lump. Claire Redfield was the same girl that was with Leon at the time of the Police Department incident. Ada regained her composure, "And if I refuse?"

"Then I dispose of you properly, my sweet little lotus flower. So I suggest you go with my men, and find this girl. And remember Ada," A group of men came in and dragged her out of the lab, "I want Claire returned to me alive."

--


	4. Chapter Four: Hellfire

AUTHORS NOTE: Yes the last Chappy was short. I liked it . Anywho. Behold Albert Wesker the reason behind Resident Evil itself. I know what you are all waiting for and do not fear my children...we shall get to that soon enough. :) Thanks for the support and the reviews...oh and yes...I may juist throw some more eroticism in my story! O.O - Ny.

AUTHORS NOTE: Yeah guys sorry about the wait...been busy and such. Most of all thanks again for all of the reviews.-Ny

Chapter Four: Hellfire

BOOM!

Claire was thrown from her bed with a giant thud against the floor, she felt the sting of heat on her cheek. She looked around with her mouth hanging open, half of her room was consumed in flames.

"Oh my GOD!" Claire yelled, and bolted for the door but it was blocked by a gate of flickering fire. She looked at the one window in the room...it was blocked by a broken window air conditioning unit. Claire shoved against it and it wouldn't budge. The fire was growing brighter and consuming more and more of the room with each second. She was completely trapped. It was over...of all the things in the world that were going to kill her once, nature seemed to have won. Claire couldn't breathe, the smoke was clouding her lungs and she felt her knees give out on her. Claire hit the floor with a thump. Before she passed out saw a dark, cloudy figure standing over her. Everything went black.

--

"Yes. I think she'll be fine. She didn't sustain any permanent injuries save for the few burns that she caught on her thighs. They are mild however and should heal with small scars over time. They will however be very painful. This young lady is lucky...she owes her life to you, Ryan. How do you know her?'' An unrecognizable male voice trickled in to Claire's ear. Her head was thumping and she felt extremely heavy eyed. She felt drugged, and her thigh stung.

"I don't know her. She just...she was staying at the motel and she was trapped...When I got to her she was crumpled on the floor. I thought she was already gone. Lucky for me she wasn't." Another voice came from the distance, this one sounded more familiar than the first, but just barely.

"Did the police say what caused the fire?" The first voice said, but more quietly.

"No...they have no idea. They say they searched through everything, everyone got out though. Thank God."

"Ryan...those wounds look nasty. Won't you let me treat them?"

"No. They are fine...just..take care of her. Please?"

"Of course Ryan." Claire heard the door shut.

Claire felt her eyes close and then she fell back out of conciousness. When she woke again, her headache was gone but her leg stung even more. She reached down to feel the wound, but a voice stopped her.

"I wouldn't mess with that if I were you. It might get infected." Claire looked over, the same guy from the motel was standing over next to the window.

"You? Wait..why are you here? And why am I here?" Claire could barely talk, due to the I.V that was pumping meds in her body.

"You got trapped in the fire at the inn-"

"You got me out? You saved me??" Claire stared at him in disbelief, it was highly unlikely.

"Seems that way, Claire. How do you feel?" He walked over to her bedside and sat down on the chair next to it.

"Wait..how do you know my name?"

He held up her ID card, and handed it to her. "Well...I suppose I should thank you...err-"

"Ryan...My name is Ryan Driskell. And no thanks are needed. Just making sure you are fine." He stood up and headed for the door.

"Well...thanks anyway. I guess I owe you one."

And with that he was gone. Claire sunk back down into the bed and snuggled into the soft blanket. She was exhausted, and sleeping came quickly.

--

Wesker spoke into the mouth piece attached to his headset. "Have you procured the subject yet?" Another voice, came from the ear piece spoke back. "She's...sleeping. Thanks to you and your idiot crew you almost killed her. That would have defeated the purpose of this whole operation, wouldn't it Wesker?"

"Just keep your smart allecky comments to yourself. Make sure you do your part and I will do mine. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

Wesker disconnected the line and looked around at his capsules lined up around him. The time was almost at hand, it was so close he could almost taste it. Chris Redfield and his annoying little brat of a sibling would not get away this time. It was time to end it, once and for all.

--

Claire pulled on her pants and her boots, and grabbed her bag. She had to get back to the motel and get her motorcycle. She climbed out of the hospital room window and managed to make her way down to the first floor. She was lucky because if her room was any higher than the second floor she would have never made it down. When she went to the front desk and asked to be discharged she was denied on the grounds that she wasn't healed enough to be let out.

It seems that I am going to have to take this matter into my own hands.

She jumped to the ground and nearly hurt her leg. She managed to scramble herself together to get up. Just as she was starting to head towards the hospital exit, a Jeep halted right in front of her. Ryan climbed out, he looked tired. "Hey, where do you think you are going?" He called to Claire, who had quickly turned the other way and started walking away from him. "Hey! I'm talking you! Claire!?" Claire heard him start running after her. He yanked her arm back and pulled her to him.

"Get in the truck. You were told to stay put. We are going back. Now!"

"Excuse me?? Who do you think you are? You think just because you saved me once you can tell me what to do?" Claire wrenched her arm away from him.

"Yes," He grabbed it again, only softer this time. "Yes, I do. Now stop being so damn stubborn and get in the truck or I- UHH!" Claire had kicked him square in the shin. Ryan dropped to his knees. And Claire, obviously glowing with victory started walking away. Before she could get out of his reach though, he grabbed her leg and pulled her down under him. Ryan looked her dead in her eyes.

"Nice. But not enough. I'm not getting off of you until you tell me what the hell you are so bent on getting out of here for?" Ryan's eyes were burning a bright blue, identical to fire.

"That's classified information. Now let me go, I have business to take care of." She tried to push him off but he was stronger than he looked, and pressed his body harder on top of her. He was awfully warm, and if he wasn't such a jerk, he wasn't bad looking.

"I don't think so. Now tell me. If you tell me, I will let you go. I promise."

Claire sighed, he wasn't going to give up was he? "Fine...I am looking for a friend. I am pretty sure he is trapped at that HCF facility. Are you happy now? Now let me go." Ryan didn't seem too happy with her explanation but rolled off of her anyways. A promise was a promise. Ryan, as much as he hated it sometimes, always kept his word. Claire stood up, grabbed her bag that Ryan had knocked off of her shoulder and started towards the exit.

"Wait..." Ryan called out, almost immediately regretting it. Claire turned around. Ryan clamored to his feet and ran over to her.

"What now?"

"At least...let me give you a ride to your cycle. Don't ask any questions. Just...come on," Claire couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if something was weighing on Ryan. Almost the way it seemed with Steve, only Ryan's seemed heavier. Claire sighed and walked past him, and climbed into his Jeep. After a few moments he opened the door and got in next to her. Claire, never taking her eyes off of him quietly spoke. "Why?"

"I...have to...i wouldn't expect you to understand. I just have to, let's leave it at that."


	5. Chapter Five: Awakening

A/N: Oh my gosh. How long has it been since I continued this story? Two years? Wow you guys must freaking hate me! Anywho, I have been under alot of stress, and have recently moved and found out I was pregnant with my second child, and bla blah. But I am back and I sincerely apologize for how long it has been.

After the long wait it is here. The Fifth chapter. I know it's short but the way I planned it made it that way. I've already started on Ch. 6 so stay tuned. And I have lots of time on my hands now, so you don't have to worry too much.

--

Chapter Five: Awakening

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her mouth hung agape in shock as anger and irritation ran through her veins. This whole day was too damn much as it is, and now this!

So she screamed.

"Ahhh! God dammit! What the hell? My bike!!!!!"

There, next to the rubble that was a motel a few hours before, was her precious motorcycle, filled with bullet holes and complete with slashed tires. She yanked the jeep door open with haste and little more force than was necessary, and ran to her disheveled bike.

She could've cried, the damage nearly catastrophic and irrepairable, as she knelt down to the bike and slammed her fist into the gravel. Ryan put the car in park and got out of it, walking over to the irritated female and crossed his arms, tsk'ing in slight amusement.

"That thing is toast. Shame too, you could tell it was a nice bike, sans the bullet holes of course." He couldn't help but smile, until she whipped her head back at him her eyes as cold as ice.

"This is horrible! Now what am I going to do? Not only did I lose my phone and my other supplies, someone had purposely sabotaged my bike! I need to get to that facility and it seems that someone doesn't want me to..." Her anger was beginning to subside and in it's place, sadness and despair was following. She hung her head as she shut her eyes tightly, refusing to let the tears of frustration out. He rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath that she couldn't make out.

He was never prepared to deal with emotional females, but he could sort of relate, he could tell that she was attached to this cycle, and it really was a shame. Better to give her a few minutes to recuperate.

That's when he heard the beep.

His eyes widened as he grabbed her arm and threw the both of them out of the way in mere milliseconds before the whole heap of broken motorcycle went up in a huge explosion.

He sheltered her as pieces of ash and hot metal debris and shrapnel rained down above them, and hissed as a particularly large piece of metal welded itself in his back. Her body was warm as she huddled under him and despite the pain in his back, he found himself enjoying her warmth.

This bothered him more than the metal in his flesh.

--

"What the hell is that?" Dr. Rodney Williams asked, staring into the tank with extreme interest. It was almost ethereal, the way it floated, long dark brown hair coming up in a flare of spikes in the fluid. Humanity at it's finest.

It wasn't human though, not anymore.

"My newest breakthrough. Do you like it?" A slick voice came from the other side of the room, positively brimming with pleasure.

"It's something...that's for sure." Rodney couldn't exactly find himself agreeing with most of the things that Albert Wesker did, but he couldn't say that the man wasn't a genius.

A genius was putting it mildly, and everyone had to admit it. However, genius always seemed to come at a price. The man was maniacal and insane, overcome with his anger and his desire to destroy the world with his crazy creatures. Williams looked back at the tank, his eyes captivated on the creature. It certainly looked human enough, it's face young and pale, although it's body looked a little too bulky to be normal.

Something told him that it wasn't always that way, that at one point it was a normal boy, barely a man before this incident.

That face looked familiar though, although barely, and he knew he had seen this boy before.

"Wait, I read about this kid in the paper! Said that he was killed in a freak accident in Antartica. But-"

"Steven Burnside. Age 17 at time of death. Caucasian male, place of birth Ontario, Canada. 1981." Wesker continued for the man, who was still staring intensely at the boy in the capsule.

"So he did die. What happened after that?"

"I excavated his corpse from the Antartica facility and come to find out, the T-Veronica mutation was stil alive inside of his body. So I brought him here." The blonde smirked, despite the slight disgust written on the other man's face. No one could ever understand the true genius that was Albert Wesker, and most of the things that he did were considered vile and disgusting to most.

He didn't care, they were all pawns in his plan.

Rodney turned from the hibernating creature, looking directly at Wesker, who was punching in some keys on a computer, "So what do you plan to do with him now, Wesker?"

A small smile creeped onto Wesker's face, as he turned to Steve.

"All in good time, Williams. All in good time."

--

Claire circled around the apartment that Ryan had brought her back to and sighed loudly.

Now what was she going to do? She briefly pondered calling her brother, but decided against it because she knew that he would start running directly for her, gathering a whole rescue team along the way. So that was out. Then she thought about maybe asking Ryan to drive her to the HCF facility, but she didn't want anyone else to get involved in her affairs, and she wanted to do this alone. That was the way it was meant to be done.

She was going to have to sneak away from him, most likely when he had fallen asleep.

Now that left the problem of transportation. Maybe someone had something somewhere that she could use-

"Come on."

Claire's head snapped back at the voice from behind her, and saw that Ryan had entered the kitchen, and that he was out of the shower.

"And where exactly are we going?" Her eyes narrowed into slits, immediately becoming suspicious.

"You still want to find your friend don't you? At the HCF facility? I'll take you." He grabbed a duffel bag and started loading first aid kits, and several clips of ammo into it, along with two handguns. Claire's mouth fell open.

"Whoa, whoa buddy! I can handle this on my own, I don't need your help okay?" She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. He only let out a laugh, "Yeah, just like you didn't need my help in that fire _or _when your motorcycle was blown to smithereens right?"

Claire's face scrunched up indignantly, and she snorted, "Okay I was asleep! And I didn't see that explosion coming! Plus I have way more experience than you could ever dream of or wish to have in these matters."

Ryan rolled his eyes, and tossed her a handgun, and five clips of ammo, "Just let me drive you okay?"

Claire loaded the gun and sighed.

"Fine..."

--

"_Heartbeat is above normal, sir, but not too fast. Viral mutation has increased two fold in the past 72 hours."_

He heard voices, strange unknown, unimportant voices. There was only one voice that mattered to him. He could remember, but it was the only thing that he could remember.

It was cold, but he couldn't feel it. He could feel it, but it was like he was immune to that freezing chill that seeped through every pore in his skin and penetrated his bones.

He briefly wondered where he was but he couldn't be bothered too much by it. That girl wasn't here so he couldn't care.

He wondered what he was, or who he was, but still he didn't care too much about that either. He wanted to open his eyes, but he couldn't, he wanted to move, but he couldn't. His body felt like a seperate entity to him, like his mind was somewhere else.

And he could hear her voice in his head, even though he didn't know who she was. Well he did know, but he couldn't remember her name, but he knew that she was important to him once. He couldn't clearly recollect the way she looked, but knew that she was beautiful.

"_Umm...sir?"_

He saw flashes in his mind, a green disaster of a monster, red cat like eyes, with fangs that could have pierced flesh with barely any push. Red hair, the color of a sunset. Blonde hair, with cold unfeeling eyes and a laugh as evil as anything he had ever heard.

A scream, and a gurgling noise, and the sound of creaking bones.

'Claire.'

His head felt like it was going to cave in, and he wanted to scream but he couldn't.

"_Sir?! Brain waves are off the chart! Heart rate has increased dramatically! Sir, something is wrong!"_

His eyes snapped open, as the glass around him shattered, and the tubes broke, blue liquid flowed around him. He stood there and the people around him stared open mouthed at him, eyes open wide with fear.

He turned his head slowly, just in time to see the needle coming straight for his neck. With no exertion at all, his hand flew up, catching the man's hand in his own, and moving it back listening to the blood curdling scream and the snapping of the man's bones as he crushed them to dust. The man fell to his knees.

The whole room stood still, as his rough and hoarse voice asked one simple question, calm and cold.

"Where's Claire?"


	6. Chapter Six: Code Joshua

Chapter Six: Code: Joshua

The road was dark, nothing more than a single street lamp every mile or so. Claire found herself staring outside of the window, despite the fact that she couldn't see anything. Her mind was drifting back to that place that it could never seem to leave.

Antarctica.

She could hear his voice drifting though her memories, the color of his hair, the faint scent of light cologne on his skin as he touched her face the last time they were together. She let the tears fall lazily from her blue eyes, wishing she could have told him how she felt before the last breath left his body.

His voice was ragged and tired, as he spoke to her, placing his hand on her face.

_"Claire...I love...you..."_

"Hey you alive over there?" Ryan's voice broke her out of her reverie, and half of her was grateful, the other half upset because she was living back in that moment when he was still with her. His collar, the sound of his boots crunching the snow behind them, as they walked towards what she was sure would have been their way out of there.

Their surefire way to safety was nothing more than a trap into what would be one of the worst moments of her life.

She turned her head towards the man in the driver's seat, his eyes fixated on the road, his hand resting lazily on the steering wheel.

"How much further til' we get there?" Her words sounded distant and foreign even to herself, and she was the one speaking them. Her stomach began to churn and twist with every mile they put behind them.

"Ahh, about another hour or so. Maybe you should get some rest, huh? You look like you need it." He switched on the radio, to a familiar song that she recognized.

Soon enough, her eyes drifted close and she was asleep.

--

The whole crowd around the large man stood in shocked frightened silence, as he spoke again, this time only slightly more forceful.

"Where is Claire?" He was getting mildly agitated with these useless morons, staring at him like some kind of circus freak. He wasn't going to get answers from these people, not even close.

An airlock door hissed from behind him and the whole room averted their eyes to the door, as an entourage of bio-hazard suited men walked in, assault rifles at the ready, taking aim at him. A clap soon followed.

"You're awake. A little sooner than I had planned but I suppose those things can't be helped now can they?" Wesker stepped in, two more biohazard suited men following behind them. Wesker walked up to the man, circling him as if admiring his handiwork.

"Ahh. I see you've given my men quite a scare. Amusing. "

The creature snapped his head towards Wesker, clearly unamused, and stared into his eyes. It was like fire and ice, ethereal blue on flame red, "Who are you?"

"Let's just say I am someone who will be assisting you on the road to what you want, my dear boy. First things first, we are going to need to run some tests on you. Dr. Kellington?"

A small, petite blonde stepped out behind one of the other scientists, her eyes fixated on the creature, with extreme interest. He noted that she was the only one who didn't scream or stare at him like a circus freak, that amused him.

"Yes Dr. Wesker?" Her voice was feminely raspy, her tone slightly seductive as she spoke to Wesker, yet her eyes never left the creature.

"Take Steven to Control Room 341, and begin a series of various standard tests, would you dear?" He asked her, but no one ever refused Wesker, so it didn't matter how he said things.

The creature's head tilted, "Who's Steven?"

Wesker could barely contain his smile. This was absolutely perfect, the project couldn't even remember his name. All it seemed that all he could remember was someone he knew once, and Wesker planned to make that work in his favor. Oh yes this was working out so well.

Wesker looked at the project, "Why you can't even remember your name. Oh well...Doctor?"

"Yes Dr. Wesker. Right away sir." She walked over to Steve, draping a white cloak over his shoulders, and leading him out of the airlock. "If you would come with me, sir. We can begin."

Steve followed her out, looking back to Wesker, eager for answers. Wesker spoke, "When you are finished, I will speak with you, Steven. Don't worry, your questions won't go unanswered for too much longer."

Begrudgingly, he followed the blonde woman out of the room.

When they were gone, Wesker went to a computer and typed in a few keys, and then turned to his team.

"Let it be known that on today, March 26th 2003, Code: Joshua has been activated."

--

_The barren snowy area was freezing, and it was too dark to see anything further than two feet before her. The blizzard was raging around her, and she wondered why she was in this burning cold.A warm breeze, fluttered around her in despite of the cold, and she snapped around eyes wide. _

_Where had that come from?_

_She stopped in the midst of everything, as what felt like a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, and a warm wetness dripped down her neck. It was warm here, and she felt her body start to warm in the embrace of this stranger._

_"It's okay...It's all going to be okay. I promise. Claire, it's almost over. Shh." A quiet familiar voice spoke from behind her, as a sharp item plunged into her back. He turned her around, gripping her to his chest, his tears making hers exactly. She spoke, despite the weakness overcoming her._

_"Steve."_

_"Shhh. Hush now. Just close your eyes, and fall asleep with me." They both dropped the ground, the snow around them being replaced by the coliseum that he had died in. She slowly looked down, and saw that the wound she had matched his exactly. The same location that they were was in after he had transformed into that horrible creature._

_"We are all at peace now."_

"Aahhh!" She screamed and bolted upright in the front seat, tears falling faster than she could stop, her heart pounding as if it would explode.

Ryan reached over in alarm, placing his hand on her leg, "God dammnit. Are you alright? You must have been having one hell of a nightmare over there."

It took her several seconds to regain her composure, before she spoke, her voice still shaky, "Yeah...I'm fine. Where are we?"

"Just fifteen minutes away from the plant."

"Hm."

About thirty seconds passed before he asked, his voice strange and awkward, "Claire?"

"Yes?"

"You're friend...is his name Steve?" At this Claire bolted upright, "Yes. Why? Do you know something about him? How do you know his name?"

"You said it when you were sleeping, I could only guess."

Claire sighed and slumped back, "Oh."

She looked out the window again, just as the chemical plant came into view, dark and forboding.

--

"Open your mouth for me, please." The blonde woman in front of Steve insisted, and he rolled his eyes, but obliged even so. Still he hated this, being poked and prodded like a lab rat. She looked into his mouth and let out a little 'hmm' of approval. She stepped back when she was done to note something on her clipboard.

"Why did those people stare at me like that? Like I'm some kind of-"

"Freak? It's because they don't understand you. They don't see what a truly amazing specimen you are." She stepped towards him, placing her hand on his face, "How beautiful you are."

"Specimen. So I am a freak. Nothing more than a lab experiment." He turned away, ashamed, but she caught his face in her hand.

"I don't think so...Steven." Her face began to draw closer to his, her eyes drifting close, and just before she placed her lips on his, he pushed her away.

"Are you done with your _tests _Doctor? I really do need to see that other man now."

The woman was caught off guard, and hung her head slightly, "Yes, of course. I'll take you to him." She gathered up her supplies, handed him some clothes to put on and strode out with him following behind closely.

--

Steve entered the room, having departed from Dr. Kellington at the security room after she input the entrance codes, the office huge and filled with hardly anything other than a huge granite desk and some computer terminals. The chair was turned around with a glimpse of blonde behind it, and Wesker was speaking into a receiver on his ear.

"Oh she is? Wonderful. Such perfect timing. Notify me immediately when she arrives. Thank you, dear heart."

Steve stood silently, his bulky arms crossed against a strong toned chest, as Wesker turned around in his chair. He looked at Steve, noting quite the tyrant he made in that attire. His no sleeved vest was zipped up and made of the same material his own was, black gloves on his hands. Over that he wore a black full length cloak, open with straps fastened across it. His pants were black also, semi-tight not too tight to restrict movement, with various hidden pockets and buckles, and his boots came to his mid-calf and were buckled all up the legs. Wesker examined his face; he was wearing a pair of black sunglasses, similar to the ones that Wesker wore before he exchanged them in favor of his mirrored ones, and his mid-neck dark red hair was tied in a low ponytail.

"Ahh, Steven. Welcome. I am sure you have a million questions, yes? Well," He removed his sunglasses and beckoned for Steve to sit, which he refused and remained standing, "Shall we begin?"

--

"So this is the chem plant? It's not much is it." Claire said, removing her gun from her waist and checking to make sure it had plenty of ammo in it. When she was satisfied that it did, she replaced it, Ryan doing the same on the side of her. It was weird though, this place didn't seem to have any security cameras that she could see. And surely if they were small and hidden someone would have had to see them and sent someone to attack.

But they hadn't.

She looked over at Ryan who was walking around the back of the facility and was digging something out of the ground.

"What are you doing?"

"When I was a kid, me and my brother used to sneak into this building and play. That was back before the incidents began to occur. There is a door here, if memory serves right. Yep, got it." He reached down and unlatched a lock on what looked to be a basement cellar door. It was weird though, because it didn't look that old to her.

Something was going on here, but she didn't have that much time to dwell on it, as he began descending it into what looked like a metal walled passage way.

She followed him down and they began their journey into the abyss that would soon be more than Claire had thought she was getting into.

--

Wesker placed his hands on the desk, his face in mock sympathy as Steve tried to grasp everything that Wesker had told him.

"Do you finally understand, Steven? That woman that plagues your memories was nothing more than a little girl who used you and left you to die."

Steve stood, his hands shaking in anger. Was this true? Did that really happen? No! The girl that his fragmented memory held was kind and sweet and...

"She could have saved you and she didn't. I saved you, Steven, I gave you life again. This girl, this Claire, she doesn't deserve your kindness. She should be killed for her sheer inhumanity." Wesker's eyes were cold as he spoke, and as he stared at Steve with sheer intensity. Steve's face began to take on a hint of anger, and Wesker knew his plan was going perfectly.

"What about my parents? Didn't I have a family once..before?"

Wesker feigned a sigh, as he continued to put his charade on Steve, "Your mother was killed when you were sent to the island, and...as for your father...well, Ms. Redfield convinced you to murder him. Lying to you saying that it was in her best interests."

Steve's face was twisted in a mixture of disgust and pain, as he registered the sheer abomination that Wesker had told him. Wesker watched in amusement as Steve's face turned to intense anger as he ripped his arm back and slammed it into the wall, causing the whole wall to collapse, "That bitch!"

"I have a proposition for you, Steven. A mission if you will. Would you like to hear it?"

He felt his body shake with anger as he responded to the other tyrant, his cold blue eyes shining with ferocity through their black covering, "I would."

"I know how you can get your revenge, Steven." At this Steve's head popped up in surprise, "And the opportunity has just presented itself."

His head hung low in thought for a second, before he removed his sunglasses, looking Wesker square in the eyes.

"Tell me what I have to do."

--

As they descended down the metal walled corridor, Claire was having the strangest feeling of deja vu. The inside of this facility was quite similar to the one back in Racoon City, underneath the R.P.D, and she almost smiled as a mixture of fright and irony came fresh into her mind.

She looked back at Ryan, and noted that he looked extremely uncomfortable. She could understand that feeling but his eyes gave him away to something more.

He knew something and he wasn't telling her.

All of a sudden, a pair of black and slick tentacles came out of nowhere, knocking Claire to the ground, and when she was down, proceeded to drag Ryan down the corridor. Claire took aim at the tentacles and shot one, but her bullet just deflected off of it.

"What the hell!? Ryan! Hang on!" She ran towards him, as he was continuously being dragged away, and just before she got to him, he dissappeared inside of an air vent, his grunts and yells not coherent anymore.

"Shit!" Claire cursed and slammed her hand on the wall, wondering what exactly that thing was. She had seen many creatures in her time, most incredibly strong but never immune to bullets!

She continued her walk around the corridor until she came to what looked like a control room, and...

The door was cracked open?

She slowly peered in, making sure her presense wasn't noticed and saw a woman with short, black cropped hair and a red dress with black heels.

"Ada?"

Ada turned around quickly, flashing a smile and pointing her gun directly at Claire.

"Claire Redfield. It's been too long. What are _you_ doing here?"

"I am here of my own accord. And I could ask you the same question." Claire spat, angry that the woman that had faked her death and duped one of her good friends and teammates was standing in Wesker's facility.

"Me? Well I was originally sent to fetch you, but I see you made it here by means of another _escort, _hm?"

Claire raised her gun at Ada, "What do you mean escort? And why would you be sent to fetch me??"

Ada hit a switch and the platform she was standing on began to lower quickly, "Oh I think yiu will find out soon enough. What you are looking for is on the 1st basement floor. Good luck, Claire. And say hi to Leon for me would you?" And with that she was gone.

"That bitch," Claire swore under her breath. That meant that Wesker wanted her to come here and that she had walked straight into a trap.

Claire Redfield was at the mercy of her enemy, and this enemy had no mercy.

A/N: Woo. That one took longer too write because I was having troubles on where to go in that chapter. Okay a little poll for you guys. Would you rather me: A) Post the same short chapters in quick succesion OR B) Post longer chapters that take longer to write and won't be up as quickly.

It's all up to you lovely folks. Thanks for the reviews and as a treat I have a little ClairexSteve one-shot I am almost done with AND I have a Wesker story in the mix, but I haven't started it yet. SO please read/review/favorite and love on my stories long time.

THANKS GUYS!


	7. Chapter Seven: Intro To Terror Pt 1

Chapter Seven: Introduction To Terror Pt. 1

Claire peered out of the control room, deciding what she would do next. The whole base probably knew she was here so more than likely there were guards at every turn and corner.

Should she just follow Ada's misguided advice and go to the 1st basement floor? And what did that crazy woman mean by 'what you are looking for'? Did she know why Claire was even here in the first place?

Ada Wong might have been a total bitch and a liar but she had helped Leon and her out more than once, so maybe she wasn't leading her straight into a trap.

Did this mean that Steve was actually here? Claire felt her heart lift for a moment. If he was here, maybe he was also alive and maybe they could get out of here together! It was a small hope but in this moment it was the only one she had.

But what of Ryan? Was he okay? The answer that plagued her worried mind was no, and she knew just as well as anyone what it was like to be captured at the hands of Umbrella's so called mercy. Maybe she should go looking for him first...

No. She shook her head, her main objective was to find and rescue Steve from the clutches of that monster, Wesker, and that was what she was going to do first.

Without any further deliberation, Claire stepped out of the room and into the hall, making her way to the 1st basement floor.

--

A heavily suited man stood before Wesker and Steve, an assault rifle in one hand, a receiver in the other. His words were muffled as he spoke sounding strangely robotic underneath his full faced helmet, "Sir, the girl has entered the facility with the help of one Ryan Driskell, and is currently roaming around the halls as we speak. We have the other one in the detention cell, and he keeps saying something about how he was hired by you. We just wanted to make sure that this was a positive before confirming or denying any information without concerning you first, sir."

Wesker tapped his fingers together as the tyrant who stood next to him removed his glasses and placed a black sterile mask over the bottom half of his face, "Yes, he was hired by me to retrieve the girl. I needed some...extra backup...in case Ms. Wong decided to betray my orders. She has a tendency to get off track sometimes. You may release him, but have him escorted here at once."

"Yes sir. And the girl? What of her?"

Wesker couldn't help the smirk overcome his face as a mental image of Chris walking in here only to find his precious baby sister impaled on the montrous claw of the boy that she had loved. It was just too beautiful, and when he had Chris there, his face pouring with tears over his dead sister, he would take his time to break the Redfield apart piece by piece until he begged him for death. He regained his composure and looked straight at his top soldier and spoke, "Do nothing about her. Ms. Wong has already told her where she needs to go to find her answers. I want her to come willingly, we have a little reunion in place."

"Yes sir. Anything else?"

"No. I am afraid that will be all. Thank you, HUNK."

HUNK nodded and turned, quickly leaving the office to send out word to his men that she was not to touched and if at all possible ignored at all costs.

Wesker stood, stretching his legs and looking to the tall man leaning against the wall, and Steve was the one to speak first. "She's in the facility," His voice seemed tinged with the tiniest bit of aggravation, and to his amusement Wesker could have sworn that he had seen the faintest bit of something akin to jealously that appeared on his prodigy's face when HUNK had mentioned that she had come here with another man.

_'Perhaps he is remembering something afterall.'_

"I am aware of that, Steven." Wesker said indifferently, peering at nothing in particular on the door.

"Should I fetch her?" He said, bored. Really he had been waiting to get his hands on that little liar and end her once and for all.

Although...

For some reason the feeling that he had before Wesker told him the truth about Rockfort, was beginning to come back to him, not strong enough to deter him from his goal but enough to make him feel uneasy about it.

"No. Let her come to you. She will soon enough."

It was better to just get it over with as soon as possible.

--

Claire ducked behind another set of guards watching the entrance and holding a particularly repetitive conversation about light and dark beer.

That was the third set of guards that she had managed to sneak by and it was seeming just a tad to easy for her. Maybe she shouldn't be complaining, but she knew she wasn't the most graceful of creatures and had had at least one slip up that would have made them notice her, right?

Maybe not.

She located an abandoned elevator that appeared to be working properly but would only take her to the 2F basement, meaning that once she got there she would have to find another route to take to get to the 1F basement.

Nothing good ever came without a price right? No pain, no gain. That was what her brother told her so often.

She found herself missing him, but shoved it to the back of her mind. She pressed the 'UP' button on the elevator, chanting a silent promise in her head as she felt the floor begin to move beneath her.

'Don't worry Chris, I will find Steve soon and then we will come home. Both of us. I promise.'

--

Chris paced the floor as he tried to call his sister's cell one more time-getting no answer for about the fiftieth time-before tossing it against the wall and almost missing his girlfriend's head.

"She's not answering, Jill! Why isn't she answering, Jill??" He was freaking out, and Jill just didn't know what to say, but she certainly knew she didn't want to get nearly knocked out by magical flying cellular devices again, so she winged it.

"I don't know. Maybe she's just busy driving somewhere, y-you know it's hard to hear a phone over the wind in your ears." Jill said, uncertainty waivering her voice, Chris hung his head.

"No...she's in trouble. I am going to find her."

"But Chris-" Jill tried to interject but Chris wouldn't allow it, interrupting her instead.

"No! No, Jill! This has gone on for far too long! I won't continue to let it go on any further...I won't let my sister be killed at the hands of that madman."

Jill was quiet for a moment before speaking just above a whisper, "But...what about...Steve..."

Chris' head dropped, and he sighed, running his fingers throught his unusually disheveled hair.

What about him? Even if he was alive, even if he was still a normal person-which Chris seriously doubted, as he had seen previously what handiwork the Ashford sister had created-Wesker would have found some way to twist his view around completely.

No...but what Chris feared was something even worse than that.

_'Maybe he'll come back, just as I did, and be able to see your sister again,'_

That simple sentence told him _exactly_ what Wesker intended to do, and something told him it wouldn't be too pretty once his sister found him.

"Jill..even if Steve is alive, he won't be the same."

"How do you know that? Wesker could have been bluffing..."

At this an almost maniacal laugh rang out through Chris' mouth.

"Wesker doesn't bluff. He plays straight faced because he knows he is going to win, and hopefully...he's wrong but if he's not..."

_'Then everyone is in trouble,'_

--

Chris gave his old teammate and long time friend, Barry Burton a call, hoping that he wasn't too busy to help him on retrieving his sister before it was too late.

"Damn Chris, so she went into what could have possibly been one of Wesker's underground facilities to look for...what? A boy that she saw die with her own two eyes?!" Barry's tone conveyed disbelief, and Chris sighed softly.

"Yeah, but before we managed to get out of Antarctica, we went back to find Steve and he was gone. We ran into Wesker, and he told us that he was taking Steve's body back with him."

Chris couldn't see it but on the other line, Barry was shaking his head. Yeah that sounded like Wesker to him, constantly stepping on people in order to get his way. Wesker was undoubtedly the man that anyone had ever seen.

"Yeah and we both know what that sociopath is capable of," Barry said, taking a pause and then continuing after a moment's thought, "Well I guess you want me to help you, huh?"

Chris laughed, "Of course. You _are _the guy with chopper access, you know." Barry chuckled heartily, "Alright, I'll prepare immediately. Meet me at the city heliport in two hours. Let's go get your sister back."

--

Claire peered out of the elevator, her gun raised in preparation for an attack. She looked around both corners and saw nothing but a series of airlock doors and laboratories. Slowly she crept along the corridors and located a long stairway that was going to lead her to her desitination. She began to ascend the stairs, when she heard some voices and footsteps coming straight in her direction. She silently cursed as she ducked underneath the stairwell just in time as the two people came directly above her.

"Dr. Wesker wishes to speak with you, about your payment, Mr. Driskell." A man said, his voice unrecognizable and Claire had to gather that he was wearing that same gas mask helmet that the rest of the guards wore.

Wait...Driskell?

"Good, I can't wait to get my money and go, this place gives me the creeps." That was Ryan's voice! Get his money and go? She knew it! He tricked her! He was nothing but one of Wesker's little play toys...and she was pretty damn pissed that she had been duped again!

Anyways, she seriously doubted that Wesker was even remotely a man of his word, and she just knew that Ryan was going to get slaughtered at the merciless hands of the tyrant.

_'Hmph, serves him right anyways,' _Claire thought angrily, _'Traitor,_'

Oh who was she kidding, she wouldn't condemn a man to his own death, especially at the hands of that blonde nutjob. She sighed, feeling another rescue mission coming on, and eagerly waited for the footsteps to come to a halt and for the voices to dissappear before continuing up the stairs. After what seemed like she had been walking for an hour, she finally made it to a hallway at the top.

She crept along the corridor, heart thundering wildly, as she kept her pistol at the ready. There could be anything in this area, especially if Wesker was waiting for her.

That was when the voice of reason in her head decided to speak up.

_'What, exactly, do you think you are doing?'_

'Well, it would seem to me as if I was treading down a corridor,' Claire silently responded, sarcasticly.

_'You know that the sociopath is waiting for you, yet you continue to walk straight into what will probably be the end of you. Is that all worth it to find him?'_

'Yes.'

_'Well more power to you then, but if it were me I would have high tailed it out of here, and found myself the nearest beach to soak up some sun and drink myself into a coma. A safe, deathless, Weskerless coma.'_

Claire rolled her eyes as the voice went silent. Her body stopped as soon as a set strange scent filled her nostrils and a humor-less chuckle filled her ears. The world seemed to go still as she turned around slowly, her blue eyes locking on with a sunglass shrouded pair. Ice water creeped into her veins, as her body shook with tremors at the cold, calculating voice that came from him.

"Greetings, dear heart."

--

A/N: FINALLY! We are finally getting somewhere, thank god. I was so anxious to get to this part.......-clears throat- Will Claire and Steve have their reunion?! Will Chris come to save the day once again?! Will Wesker get his revenge from the two Redfield siblings?? WILL BARRY EVER GET HIS SANDWICH????

All these questions and more will be answered in Chapter Eight of Close To You!

-giggles-


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